Game apparatus comprising fingersupported ball projectors and wrist-supported basket



April 1964 P. BOCCARDI ETAL 3,130,971

GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING FINGER-SUPPORTED BALL PROJECTORS ANDWRIST-SUPPORTED BASKET Filed Aug. 15, 1961 F|G.2 FIG.3

INVENTORS Patsy Boccardi 8 y Aida Sweeney ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,130,971 GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING FINGER-SUPPORTED B A L L PROJECTORS A N D WRIST-SUPPORTED BASKET PatsyBoccardi, 820 Classon Ave., and Aida Sweeney, 491 7th Ave., both ofBrooklyn, N.Y. Filed Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,611 3 Claims. (Cl.273101) This invention relates to the field of games and game apparatus,and has for its objective the creation of a hand basket-ball gameapparatus designed to develop skill, dexterity and coordination in theplayers, as well as providing sources of entertainment and amusement,unrestricted to any age limit.

It is therefore the principal object of our invention to create a handbasket-ball game designed to develop the coordination and musculardexterity of the players.

Another important object of this invention is the creation of a handbasket-ball game designed to provide a source of entertainment andamusement for the players, regardless of age.

Still another object of this invention is the creation of a gameapparatus which can be utilized for a variety of difierent types ofgames according to varied prescribed playing rules.

A fourth important object of this invention is the creation of a gameapparatus which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects, advantages and functional features will become morereadily apparent from an examination of the following specification,taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective View of the apparatus of the handbasket-ball game, with the parts attached to the hand of a player;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of one of the cupped rings shown inFIG. 1, partly in cross section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the cupped ring shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the basket element of the ap' paratus, partlyin cross-section;

FIG. 5 is a top view, taken on line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view, similar to FIG. 1, but showing amethod of propelling the ball from a cupped ring to the basket element.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout thedifferent views.

Illustrative of the embodiment shown, our hand basketball game comprisesa set of four cupped rings 10 of identical construction and a basketelement 11, together with a ball 12. The cupped rings 10 each consist ofa ring portion 13 to which is secured a cup portion 14. The ring 13 isprovided open, as at 15, and constructed of a substantially rigidmaterial which permits movement of the ends at 15 toward and away fromeach other to increase or decrease the diameter of the ring 13 so thatit can be adapted to fit any size of finger securely enough to restrainrotation of the ring 13 on the finger. The cup portion 14 is ofsulficient depth and diameter to receive and hold the ball 12 freely,and should be of substantially rigid construction. The ball 12 may becomposed of any light, resilient material, such as rubber, plastic,cork, or the like.

The basket element 11 comprises a circular, flat-bottomed cup 16, to theunderside of which is secured a strap 17 adapted to secure the cupfirmly atop the wrist of the player, as shown in FIG. 6. Within the cup16 there is provided a smaller circular, flat-bottomed cup 18, securedintegrally to the base of the cup 16, the cup 18 being concentric incircumference with the cup 16 and of ice a diameter to permit free entryof the ball 12 therein, the perimeters of the cups 16 and 18 beingspaced apart a distance suflicient to permit free entry of the ball 12into the cup 16 between said perirneters as well, as shown in FIG. 4.The vertical walls of the cups 16 and 18 are of sufiicient height toretain the ball 12 when it enters either cup.

A vertical post 19 is secured to the wall of the cup 18, by engagementof its brackets 21 with a rib 22 in the wall of the cup 18, saidinterlocking arrangement securing the post 19 firmly against movement,and permitting removal of the post 19 from the cup 18 for convenience inpacking and storing. A ring 23 is secured horizontally near the top ofthe post 19, and is provided with a mesh sleeve 24 adapted to dependtherefrom in the direction of the cup 18, as shown. The ring 23, and thesleeve 24 are of a diameter larger than that of the cup 18 and smallerthan that of the cup 16, so that when the ball 12 falls through the ring23 it is directed by the sleeve 24 into the cup 18, when the basketelement 11 is held vertically.

In a preferred form of game played with the foregoing apparatus, fourcup rings 10 are secured to the four fingers of the players hand, otherthan the thumb, and the basket element 11 is secured to his wrist bymeans of the strap 17, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the cup rings 10 beingsecured in alternating positions so that the cup 14 on the forefingerfaces down, the cup 14 on the middle finger faces up, the cup 14 on thering finger faces down and the cup 14 on the small finger, or pinky,again faces up, with the openings of the basket element 11 facing up.The ball 12 is then thrown up in the air and must be caught, without abounce, in the cup 14 of the cup ring 10 on the players forefinger, thehand being palm-up. The player then flips the ball into the air fromthis position of his hand, by movement of his hand and wrist, propellingthe ball 12 from the cup 14, and must reverse his hand and catch theball 12, without a bounce, in the cup 14 attached to the ring 13 on hismiddle finger, his hand being now palm-down. Having done so, the playerthen flips the ball 12 from this cup 14 into the air, reverses theposition of his hand, and catches the ball 12 in the same manner in thecup 14 attached to the ring 13 on his ring finger, his hand again beingpalm-up. This process is repeated with respect to the recovery of theball 12 in the cup 14 attached to the ring on the small finger, the handnow being again palm-down. After having advanced the ball 12 in theforegoing manner, it is the object of the game to flip the ball 12 andcatch it in the small cup 18 of the basket element 11, having it firstpass through the ring 23 and sleeve 24. This is done by a quick movementof the hand and wrist, as shown in FIG. 6. It is now the turn of thenext player, who attempts to perform all of the foregoing acts in thesame manner.

A method of scoring points is provided with this form of game, awardingpoints for each successful advanceent of the ball 12 along the cup rings10 and into the cup 18, and reduction of points for each failure. Forexample, catching the ball 12 in the cup 18, as above described, isawarded more points than catching the ball 12 in the cup 16, and soforth.

In another form of game which may be played with the apparatus of thisinvention the cup rings 10 may be worn by two or more players withoutusing the basket element 11, the cup rings 10 placed, as heretoforedescribed, upon the fingers of the players. The ball 12 is then flippedinto the air and must be caught by the first player in the cup 14 of thering 13 on his first finger. He then flips the ball into the air and itmust be caught by his opposing player in the cup 14 of the ring 13 onhis first finger. The second player then flips the ball 12 again intothe air, and it must be caught by the first player in the cup 14 of thering 13 on his middle finger. And

in this manner the ball 12 is caught respectively by the opposingplayers for advancement along the cup rings 10 of their fingers. A setof rules and schedule of points may be drawn up for this type of game,as is well apparent.

Many other variations of games may be created by using one or more cuprings 10, with or without the basket element 11, with one or moreplayers, teams, etc., limited only by the ingenuity of the players, eachtype of game "provided with its own set of rules and scoring system.

.The embodiment thus shown and described is therefore merely by way ofillustration and not of limitation, and, as is obvious, various changesmay be made in the "construction, composition and arrangement of partsof our invention, and all or parts of the apparatus shown and describedmay be used in various Ways, without departure from the spirit and scopeof our invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherenttherein, all of which We claim.

comprising each a finger-engaging element and a cup portion adapted toreceive the ball, said cup portion not of a diameter substantiallylarger than the ball diameter, the basket element comprising a pair ofconcentric cups integrally secured together and adapted each to receivethe ball, means to secure the basket element to the wrist of the playerin position to receive the ball when flipped from a finger ring, avertical post secured to the inner cup wall, an horizontal ring securedto the post adjacent its top, and a vertical sleeve disposed around thering and dependent therefrom, the sleeve disposed to prevent entry ofthe ball into the inner cup except through the sleeve.

2. A game apparatus as described in claim 1, the ring portion of eachcup-supporting finger ring provided with free ends adapted to be movedtogether and apart to vary the diameter of the ring portion.

3. A game apparatus as described in claim 1, the vertical post beingremovably attached to the wall of the inner cup.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceAug. 24, 1959

1. A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A BALL, A PLURALITY OF CUP-SUPPORTINGFINGER RINGS ADAPTED EACH TO ENGAGE ONE FINGER OF A PLAYER, AND A BASKETELEMENT, THE FINGER RINGS COMPRISING EACH A FINGER-ENGAGING ELEMENT ANDA CUP PORTION ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE BALL, SAID CUP PORTION NOT OF ADIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN THE BALL DIAMETER, THE BASKET ELEMENTCOMPRISING A PAIR OF CONCENTRIC CUPS INTEGRALLY SECURED TOGETHER ANDADAPTED EACH TO RECEIVE THE BALL, MEANS TO SECURE THE BASKET ELEMENT TOTHE WRIST OF THE PLAYER IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE BALL WHEN FLIPPEDFROM A FINGER RING, A VERTICAL POST SECURED TO THE INNER CUP WALL, ANHORIZONTAL RING SECURED TO THE POST ADJACENT ITS TOP, AND A VERTICALSLEEVE DISPOSED AROUND THE RING AND DEPENDENT THEREFROM, THE SLEEVEDISPOSED TO PREVENT ENTRY OF THE BALL INTO THE INNER CUP EXCEPT THROUGHTHE SLEEVE.